Apartment Accent Wall Ideas: Simple and Stylish Ways to Transform Your Space

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By Daniela Klein

Updated: Mar 04, 2025

8 min read

Apartment accent wall
Photo: @spacesbytay

Staying in an apartment often poses a challenge of limited space impacting the interior of the indoor house; however, with the right design ideas and adequate information, there are unlimited decoration ideas. A home should not merely look like a habitat but a place reflecting your style and choices. All four walls of the room look dull and uninteresting when painted in the same color, but a coat of different paint on one wall or a wallpaper enhances the look of the room without much effort and investment. For these reasons, an accent wall  is preferred by those living in an apartment, small homes or even bigger houses.

An accent wall makes one wall the focal point of the room, displaying the mood, color, and theme of other decor items in the room. If you believe in “less is more,” this is the simplest way to create a classy look, energize the space, and add depth. Whether you are looking for small apartment accent wall ideas or studio apartment accent wall ideas, we have got it all in this article. Have a look!

Inspiring Apartment Accent Wall Ideas to Energize the Space

There are umpteen accent wall ideas available in different budgets to enhance the look of the house, such as wallpaper, painting on the wall, reclaimed wood and many more. However, it’s important to consider the existing wall colour, the design of the furniture and other items placed in the room for a perfect contrast.

DIY Removable Wallpaper

DIY Removable Wallpaper
Photo: @rockymountaindecals

Staying in a studio apartment may make you feel low on personality. It’s time to gear up and add energy and positivity to your habitat with removable wallpaper, which is low on cost and a DIY idea. Living in a rental home requires a temporary setup, and what could be a better option than an easily removable wallpaper to accentuate the look of the house?

Faux Shiplap

Faux Shiplap
Photo: @home_loving_

Faux shiplap is a temporary and easily removable apartment accent wall idea to uplift the look of the room in a cost-effective manner.

Peel and Stick Wallpaper

Peel and Stick Wallpaper
Photo: @muraliumwallpapers

For rental apartments, removable and repositionable wallpaper is a smart way to add pattern and texture to the room. It reasonably adds a new life to the walls, impacting the visual appeal of the house.

Board and Batten Idea to Style Up the Wall

Board and Batten Wall
Photo: @lonefoxhome

This is indeed an affordable and easy-to-install option for small apartments. Once you end up with this DIY task, you will realize how much your walls needed it.

Add Texture With Shim Wall

Shim Wall
Photo: @wallpanels.us

Have you ever thought of introducing a hardware item, “shim” to the walls? It’s an affordable and easy choice to add texture and life to the dull wall, but it requires abundant patience to install it.

Accentuate the Wall With Brushstroke

Brushstroke Design wall
Photo: @emilyziz

Another exciting way to add color to the wall is brushstroke. Buy a paintbrush of various shapes and sizes and playfully paint the wall with a free hand in the color of your choice, or contrast it with other items, whichever way you want.

Paint the Wall in a Geometric Pattern

Geometric Shape Painted Wall
Photo: @ophelia_interior_design

Geometric pattern walls add visual interest to the light shade walls. You can DIY with an angled paint brush to create a modern pattern with clusters of lines with a free hand. If you want a fast brushstroke project, this is probably the best option for you.

Corkboard Apartment Accent Wall

Corkboard Apartment Accent Wall
Photo: @michelebitter

Corkboard is the best option for the home office to stick to a to-do list of work, important notes, and family trip photos to refresh your mind amid stressful targets to achieve. It is a viable option for the kitchen wall to hang a grocery list to buy or a recipe for a dish you plan to try. Apart from these uses, a corkboard is also a solution for external noise as it provides soundproofing.

Terrazzo Accent Wall Inspired by Mid-century Era

Terrazzo Accent Wall Inspired by Mid-century Era
Photo: @stiles_tiles_with_style

It’s a DIY project with stuff available at home. If you have contact paper left from the last project, get started on the thrilling work; cut colorful paper into a natural terrazzo look, but each piece should be different from the others for uniqueness. Paste the pieces for the terrazzo effect and see the difference.

Use Reclaimed Wood

Reclaimed Wood Wall
Photo: @timberchic

Create an accent wall using reclaimed wood for a traditional look for farmhouse-style homes or other homes. It looks fantastic on white walls.

Break the Monotony With Herringbone Wall

 Herringbone Wall
Photo: @design_by_moonlight

Break the monotony of the neutral wall with small pieces of natural cedar in a chevron pattern in an unfinished look. If you want, paint it or stain it to go bold.

Spotted Paint for Dalmatian Look

Dalmatian Look
Photo: @Dalmatian Look

Create a bold pattern on the wall with a stencil and black paint to look like a pricey wallpaper. Another way to achieve the same style, though in a bit uneven way, is using a paint pen or small paintbrush.

Mural Wall Art

Mural Wall Art
Photo: @moyasestraa_

If you have an eye for detailing and a steady hand, DIY mural artwork on the wall is a cost-effective way to spruce up the look of the room with paint and a brush in an artistic way. Paint it in a mountain mural or other scenic mural . Hire a professional for a complicated design to fill the empty space.

Wood Accent Wall (Scalloped)

Wood Accent Wall
Photo: @studio.lux.interiors

Be your own master of art and get started. Make your own cardboard stencil and outline each piece with a marker on the wall. Now, hang small(quarter-inch) plywood panels using mountain tapes.

A Simple Tic-tac-toe Game Accent Wall

How about a board game on the wall? It’s a playful and interactive way to elevate your bedroom or living room wall of the apartment, especially for your kid's room.

A Built-in Bookshelves

Bookshelves Wall Design
Photo: @modernshelving

Create an accent wall with built-in bookshelves and add depth to the room. Paint the shelves in a dark shade to go bold. Display your prized possession of art collectibles and books on the shelf to let visitors know more about your personality.

Abstract Wall Art

Abstract Wall Art
Photo: @geoffreyianwilsonart

Add a contemporary look to the wall with this DIY project. Make sure you choose the color that goes well with the base color of the room.

Wood Slat Accent Wall for a Scandinavian Feel

Wood Slat Wall
Photo: @modern_slats

Add a Scandinavian look to the living room of your small apartment with wood slats. Natural wood slats also add warmth and make the uninteresting neutral space more inviting for guests.

Hand Painted Arch Accent Wall

arched accent wall
Photo: @neumuriwallpapers

An arched accent wall painted by hand is the simplest way to uplift the look of the room with minimal investment of time and energy. It gives a boho look, adding an instant focal point to the wall.

Matte Black Wall Accent

Matte Black Wall
Photo: @deltafaucet

Paint the front of the fireplace with a matte black color to create a classic ambiance. To fill the empty space above the fireplace, hang a multi-color painting for a bright and lively atmosphere.

Metallic Tape Accent Wall

Metallic Tape Accent Wall
Photo: @wepitchinteriors

You can create an accent wall by merely sticking the metallic tape in any pattern you want to extend a minimal impact.

Accent Wall With Removable Wall Tiles

Removable Wall Tiles
Photo: @tempaper_designs

These removable tiles are best for rental homes as you can remove them and carry them to the next house to accentuate the look of the new home.

Fabric Wall Accent

Fabric Wall
Photo: @fabric_wall

One of the most affordable and smooth ways of accenting walls is to attach the fabric to the wall using starch—a simple and beautiful option.

Accent Wall With Painted Brick

Wall With Painted Brick
Photo: @HeavenGables

Create an accent wall by painting the natural brick with color complementing other items in the room. It will add organic texture.

Industrial Accent Wall

 concrete accent wall
Photo: @decco.trinidad

Bring in a concrete effect on the accent wall, extending an industrial look with faux concrete wallpaper. The concrete accent wall will become the anchor of the room.

Corrugated Accent Wall

Corrugated Accent Wall
Photo: @accentartcreators

Though corrugated metal is ideally used for roofs, bringing it to the wall of the living room looks equally good with its rustic look.

Conclusion

An accent wall is an exciting way to add warmth and energy to any space, be it neutral or bright, big or small. However, bringing the accent wall idea into a compact space is a challenge, but with the perfect idea, any space can be transformed into a sanctuary. You will get multiple ideas for your home in this article. Go bold and creative and let the world know about your choices and personality.

FAQs

Which Wall in a Living Room Should Be Used as the Accent Wall?

The fireplace wall or the wall behind the couch should be the accent wall. It also depends on the layout of the room.

Can Accent Walls Make a Room Look Bigger?

Yes, if the accent wall is painted with a dark color, it will make the room appear bigger.

What Are the Cons of Accent Walls?

If the accent wall has a strong impact, it may dominate over the rest of the decor items. You may also get bored of bold color accent walls in a neutral space.

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